Yay Pide

As a West-Ender, I don't know much about the East End of Toronto. On Saturday, I found a nice area at Gerrard and Pape. The Gerrard Square Mall provided some great amenities: Food Basics, Winners, and a Home Depot; though the rest of the mall was sadly empty. The street still had lots of shops with some evidence of gentrification: Blueberry Boulevard, Great Burger Kitchen, and Grinder Coffee. There was Projection Booth, reminiscent of the Royal of old, showing Hollywood films alongside old classics. I was tempted by the Sonny Chiba triple bill but had other plans. It was also walking distance to Little India,  Chinatown East, and Queen Street. The only downside was the distance to the subway and also the live venues that are mostly clustered in the West End.

Every neighborhood needs a unique destination place, and that was the reason I was here.  I've been seeing on twitter about Pizza Pide. Even Joanna Kates reviewed it. Turns out this tiny take-out with a few tables at Pape makes Turkish pizza or pide. Resembling a cousin of a calzone or stromboli, a pide is a long half-folded baked dough, filled with cheese and meat. The owner got me to try the Kasirik ($9.99), which is Turkish for complicated or in this case assorted. Each slice had different toppings.

The pide came out on a long wooden tray with some garnishes: pickled chilies and raw parsley, tomatoes, and onions. Other customers skipped the sides but I ate it all. The end pieces were stuffed with spinach and cheese, reminding me of fatayar. These would be better with the other pides that had feta and other spices. The chicken slice was all right but the lamb and Turkish beef sausage portions were delicious.

With other options on the menu and a movie theatre nearby, I shall have to make my way back to this corner of Riverdale.